Certain parts of the world routinely deal with snow and ice covering the roadways. Within these regions plowing/sanding trucks are typically utilized to clear roadways and deposit sand (or other abrasive materials) which helps to provide additional traction for drivers. In certain situations, it is necessary to use these plowing/sanding trucks for additional purposes. One particularly troublesome current situation is where the truck must be capable of plowing and sanding operations, but must also tow a trailer of some type. This is troublesome since the trailer often interferes with the equipment needed to carry out sanding operations.
The removal of snow and ice from roadways is itself often a challenging task. The failure to effectively remove snow and ice creates very hazardous driving conditions, which can ultimately result in accidents and fatalities. Even when a majority of the snow has been removed, any remaining snow or ice creates a hazard. Snowplows are typically equipped with sanding equipment to further minimize this hazard. Consequently, these snowplows have the ability to simultaneously remove snow, and to apply sand, salt or a sand/salt combination to the roadway. Sand alone will help to provide traction, while the application of salt or a salt mixture will promote melting of ice and snow.
Salting and sanding mechanisms have existed for years and typically include a spreader mechanism for distributing sand (and/or salt). Typical spreaders involve a rotational disk which is spun in a desired directed of rotation. Sand or sand salt mixture is then delivered to this spinning disk, which will cast the mixture over a desired area. These delivery mechanisms are typically attached to the rear portion of the sanding truck and will cause the granular material to be spread behind the plowing truck as it progresses along the roadway. Alternatively, a slide chute may be used, which allows sand or other material to simply slide down a sloped surface and be distributed onto the roadway.
As can be imagined, the sanding mechanisms are typically somewhat sizable due to the physical demands and functions carried out. In addition, these mechanisms take up considerable amount of space and typically interfere with the other truck features. Most specifically, these sanding mechanisms typically interfere with hitches and other towing implements. Consequently, the truck itself becomes one dimensional and cannot be used for other functions.
In an effort to more efficiently clear snow and debris from roadways, some plow trucks are also being equipped with towable auxiliary blades. These auxiliary blades can be swung outwardly extending beyond the typical path of the truck itself. In one example, the truck can be driven along a first lane of a highway, while the towable plow blade can extend into a adjacent lane. Similarly, the towable plow may extend onto an adjacent shoulder portion of a highway. In this particular configuration, a single truck can be utilized to clear multiple lanes or multiple portions of the highway itself. By making one path or trip down the highway, multiple lanes are cleared, thus eliminating the need for multiple passes by one truck, or the use of multiple trucks. Naturally, this increases efficiency and reduces cost.
To allow for these towable auxiliary plow blades to be used, a necessary amount of clearance is required. Due to this need for appropriate clearance, sanding mechanisms have not typically been used along with these towable blades. Sanding mechanism require the use of material transfer structures, which are most conveniently located at the rear of the truck. Consequently, these sanding mechanisms typically overlap or cover the hitch mechanisms that exist. There is thus a need for alternative sand handling structures which also allow for towing mechanisms to be used.